


V is for Victory!

by CityEscape4



Series: Zexal Pokémon Trainer AU [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Gen, Pokémon Trainer AU, Zexal Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-05-28 06:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19388167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CityEscape4/pseuds/CityEscape4
Summary: On their journey into Castelia City, Yuma, Kotori, and Tetsuo find themselves in a bit of trouble, with Team Plasma written all over it.





	V is for Victory!

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Day 4 of Zexal Week: **AUs** /Headcanons. I'm posting this a day early because I need the rest of the week to focus on my papers for my summer course.

The excited chatter of commonfolk was rampant as Yuma, along with his two best friends Kotori and Tetsuo, watched the port of Castelia City come into view. The three of them hailed from Aspertia City, and had just begun their Pokémon journeys from there together, despite having been old enough to be travelling for three years now. Yuma's sister Akari had been very hesitant to let her brother leave the city, as their parents disappeared while journeying several years ago. 

Not wanting to leave their friend behind after receiving their first Pokémon nearly three years ago, Kotori and Tetsuo stayed in Aspertia City, despite all their other hometown friends leaving to travel as most kids did, until Akari finally relented at the behest of her's and Yuma's grandmother. Thankful to the both of them for letting him finally go, Yuma and his friends left Aspertia City soon thereafter.

"We're almost to Castelia, you guys!" Yuma exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at Kotori and Tetsuo, his hands gripping the railing of the boat. His two friends smiled back at him, Tetsuo being the first one to speak up.

 _"Finally."_ He patted his side, where two Pokéballs were attached to his belt, "Aron and Mareep are gonna wanna stretch their legs after this! Man, am I tired of being on a ship."

"Relax, Tetsuo." Kotori chided, waving a hand at him in dismissal. "It's only been about an hour, I'm sure you and your Pokémon will be fine." She looked to Yuma then, a look of hope on her face. "Maybe this will be the city where we find you a Pokémon, Yuma!"

"Yeah," Yuma nodded, looking back to the approaching port, "Maybe."

Unlike Kotori, who'd been gifted a Pidove by her mother when she turned ten, and Tetsuo, who'd received an Aron from his older brother when he was nine, Yuma was given no Pokémon to start off his journey with. The only Pokémon his family had was a Purrloin that had once belonged to his mother, which had kinda become the family Pokémon. Despite being offered to be caught a Pokémon by his two friends, Yuma turned them down, saying that he'd know his starter Pokémon when he saw it. So far, they had been to two different cities, as well as a ranch, and no such Pokémon had been approved by Yuma.

There was, however, something that Yuma's father had left for him before vanishing. He'd left Yuma something called a "Liberty Pass", which contained directions to a place in Castelia City called Liberty Island. What lied there, Yuma had no clue, but he remained hopeful, knowing there had to be _something_ there waiting for him.

* * *

As the ferry from Virbank City pulled into one of Castelia City's harbors, the young teens stepped into the concrete jungle that was Unova's largest city, and decided to head to the Pokémon Center to gather their bearings. While there, Kotori and Tetsuo decided to have their Pokémon checked up on by Nurse Joy.

They sat at a pair of couches which were facing each other, Tetsuo on one couch, Kotori and Yuma on the other. Together they talked about their plans for the city: Kotori wanted to shop; Tetsuo wanted to explore the city, though both had agreed on one thing - Castelia City's Gym. When they got to Yuma to see what he wanted to do while they were in the city, they were surprised to see him dig into his bag and pull out a thick slip of a ticket, with what looked like a note attached to it.

"It's something my dad left me," Yuma explained, causing his two friends to perk up. "Its called a Liberty Pass. Its supposed to take me to a place here in Castelia called Liberty Island. I dunno what happens after that, but I wanna find out."

"Then let's go there first!" Kotori said excitedly, "And then, we'll search the city for a Pokémon for you!"

"Yeah," Tetsuo joined in, smiling brightly, "we'll make Liberty Island our first stop!"

"Oh, you three are headed to Liberty Island?"

At the sound of Nurse Joy's voice, the three young teens turned to look in her direction, where she was walking up to them with a rolling cart pushed by an Audino. The cart held four Pokéballs in groups of two: One regular Pokéball and one Great Ball, alongside a Premier Ball and a Net Ball.

"Your Pokémon have been checked up on!" Nurse Joy happily proclaimed, handing the Premier Ball and Net Ball to Kotori, while Audino gave the Pokéball and Great Ball to Tetsuo. "Everyone's a-ok and fighting fit!" Kotori and Tetsuo gave their thanks, and Audino began pushing the cart back to the back room. "Now, what was I hearing about Liberty Island?"

"Do you know where that is?" Tetsuo asked, setting his Pokéballs into his belt.

Nurse Joy nodded, and folded her arms as she spoke. "Why yes, I do. There's a boat that's offered to take people to take people there from the westmost pier of the city." She frowned slightly then, looking almost applogetic, "The problem is, a rich man bought the island long ago, and only those who have a special pass are allowed to be taken there. I can give you a map to the city to show you, but apart from that, I can't do anymore to help."

"A map would be very helpful." Kotori said, smiling at Nurse Joy, "Thank you."

Nurse Joy nodded and left to get the map of the city, returning shortly with it. As she handed it to the group, she said, "Don't worry about returning it; I have a bunch of maps of the city for newcomers."

Yuma, Kotori, and Tetsuo smiled at her and spoke in unison: "Thank you, Nurse Joy!"

* * *

"So all we gotta do," Yuma said, fiddling with the map in his hands, "is stay to the left, and we'll hit the pier that has the boat that takes us to Liberty Island!" He lowered the map and turned his head as he walked to grin brightly at his two friends. "I can't wait!"

"This is the most pumped I've seen you in a while." Tetsuo replied, chuckling softly.

"No, he was excited when you caught Mareep and I caught Psyduck at Floccessy Ranch." Kotori was quick to point out, wagging a finger at Tetsuo.

Tetsuo put his hands up as she did so, shaking his head. "I just meant," He began, laughing awkwardly, "that there's a fire in him that I haven't really seen since we left Aspertia."

"Its fine," Yuma insisted, turning his head back to focus on where he was walking, "I get what he means. Honestly, I've been waiting for us to get to Castelia since we left just for this." He looked up at the sky, thinking about the Liberty Pass, and about his father. "I just wonder what's so important there that my dad wanted me to see."

Things were quiet for a little bit after that, Kotori and Tetsuo not knowing what to say. It was rare that Yuma brought up his parents ever since they'd disappeared. 

It wasn't long before they reached the last pier of Castelia City's harbor, Yuma practically sprinting towards the only boat that resided there, Kotori and Tetsuo running behind him to catch up.

As Yuma reached the yellow, yacht like boat, a man stepped out from the vehicle, off of the boat onto the concrete. He looked Yuma up and down, raising an eyebrow at the young teen. "Can I help you?"

"We'd like to go to Liberty Island, please!" Yuma asked, digging in his bag and pulling out the Liberty Pass. He handed it to the man, who looked the pass over in shock, not having expected a young kid like this to have had a pass.

"Very well." He said, clearing his throat. "So that's a trip for one-- two, three of you?" He asked, pointing at Kotori and Tetsuo, who'd caught up with Yuma finally.

"Yes please," Kotori said in between heavy breaths, her and Tetsuo trying to regain their composure after having rushed after Yuma.

"Right then." The man said, stepping to the side to allow the group of teens into the boat. "We'll depart shortly."

Sharing high-fives with one another, Yuma and his friends were quick to get onto the boat, followed quickly by the man, which true to the man's word, departed shortly after they'd all boarded.

* * *

They realized something was wrong as soon as the island came into view.

"That's strange," Said the captain as he slowed the boat down. "There's no one authorized to be here other than this boat... So who's that docked at the island...?"

The group of teens were quick to recognize the logo on the side of the ship though, all three of them looking at one another in shock. "Team Plasma!"

"Team Plasma?" The captain asked, looking back at the kids. "Oh no! That means they're here for--" He silenced himself then, shaking his head. "Nevermind that, we need to get the police out here!"

"There's no time to turn around now!" Yuma spoke up, standing up as he did so. "Who knows what damage Team Plasma has already done? If we leave now, they could be gone by the time we get back!"

"So what do you suggest we do?" Kotori asked, looking at Yuma determinedly.

Yuma looked at the captain then, mirroring Kotori's determined look. "Drop us off at the island. We'll keep Team Plasma busy while you get the police."

"But you're just kids!" The captain exclaimed, the island coming closer into view. "I can't drop off a bunch of kids at Team Plasma's feet!"

"Trust us," Tetsuo said, him and Kotori flashing their two gym badges from Aspertia and Virbank City, "We can take care of ourselves."

The captain looked hesitant, but ultimately nodded. "Alright then."

As they pulled into Liberty Island, the captain called out, "Be careful! I'll be back as soon as I can!" before zooming off at as high a speed he could.

Yuma and his friends snuck onto the island, slinking through the trees, until they came upon a lighthouse, preceded by a clearing with a few Team Plasma members.

"Lets see if we can sneak past them." Yuma whispered, answered only with silent nods from Kotori and Tetsuo. They noticed a pair of benches to their left, and attempted to use those as cover from Team Plasma's sight.

They hid behind one bench, and took turns getting to the other bench, when Tetsuo was seen by one of the grunts, who yelled, "Hey kid!"

Yuma and Kotori froze, looking over at Tetsuo, who shook his head at them, nodding his head up slightly as a quiet sign to go on without him.

"What do you think you're doing here, kid?"

"Stopping you!"

"We've finally reached the secret sleeping at the bottom of the lighthouse. I won't let some stupid kid interrupt us!" The Plasma grunt then sent out a Patrat, and Tetsuo responded in kind with his Mareep.

Yuma and Kotori took this distraction as a chance to do as Tetsuo had notioned and get a move on, bobbing and weaving away from the remaining Team Plasma grunts, until they finally reached the lighthouse, where a grunt was guarding the entrance. 

Kotori and Yuma frowned, sharing a look. "I'll distract him," Kotori said, grabbing one of her Pokéballs. "You get in there and find out what they're doing." 

Yuma nodded, waiting as Kotori ran up to the Plasma grunt.

"Hey you!" She yelled, "What do you think you're doing on this island?"

The Team Plasma grunt was visibly startled, but moved towards Kotori. "A kid?!" He stopped several feet in front of her and spoke again. "We won't let you stop us releasing Victini from the basement of this island!"

With that, he sent out a Sandile, and Kotori in return, sent out her Psyduck. As the two began battling, Yuma took the opportunity to sneak past the Plasma grunt and into the lighthouse, closing the door behind him.

"What the heck is a Victini?" He murmured to himself, beginning to head down to the basement. As he reached there, he noticed the door was opened already. "They must have already made it down this far..." Yuma frowned and stepped into the room.

It was a small room, almost like a bedroom. There was a bed, a dresser, some bookshelves, and a television. In the center of the room was a Team Plasma member, their back to Yuma. Upon hearing Yuma enter the room, however, they turned and frowned. "How'd you manage to get down here?"

"I had some help." Yuma replied cheekily, smirking at the woman, before noticing a small, orange Pokémon with bright blue eyes behind them, cowering. "Is that Victini?"

"The one who obtains this Pokémon," The woman began, "is said to be victorious in any type of competition! We as Team Plasma can obtain a power that would make us invincible!" She stepped closer to Yuma then, a hand reaching for a Pokéball. "This is a secret room meant to hide away Victini! Several decades ago, a certain rich person bought this entire island and hid Victini in this underground room."

"After that, no one ever saw Victini, and it became labeled a legendary Pokémon." She stepped closer to Yuma still, her Pokéball in her hand now. "We, Team Plasma, will liberate Victini from this room and use its power to make our goal a reality! We won't let a brat like you get in our way!"

With that, she sent out her Pokémon, a Watchog. She waited for a moment, before her and her Watchog looked at Yuma expectantly. "Come on, kid," she said irritably, "Send out your Pokémon already."

Yuma laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with a hand. "Funny you mention that, I actually... don't... have one...?"

The female Plasma member paused a beat, before scooping up Victini and smirking wickedly. "Then this," she said, struggling to keep Victini from fighting her in her arms, "should be simple enough. Watchog, get rid of this brat!"

Yuma gulped at that, just narrowly dodging a Crunch attack from Watchog. He kept just barely avoiding attacks, when he was nearly cornered by the Watchog, it being the only thing separating him from the Plasma member and the struggling, squeaking Victini in her arms.

Yuma stared down the Watchog, before looking towards the female Plasma member. If he could time this right...

"We got him, Watchog! Use Crunch again!"

As Watchog lunged at Yuma, he ran towards it, rolling under the mid-air Pokémon and right into the Plasma member, knocking her down, and sending Victini flying from her hands. 

"Victini!" Yuma yelled, quickly getting up to run and catch the small Pokémon before it fell to the ground. The female Plasma member was beginning to get up from the floor, her Watchog coming to her aid. Yuma held him firmly, before looking down to Victini and saying, "Hide!" and putting Victini on the ground.

"Tini!" Without having to be told twice, Victini blinked out of existance, much to Yuma's surprise, and was immediately gone from sight. 

"No!" The Plasma member cried out, reaching a hand out in vain. "You..." She looked to Yuma then. "How dare you! Watchog, use Hypnosis!"

Yuma closed his eyes and looked away not wanting to fall under Watchog's hypnotic spell, when he heard, "Aron, use Protect!"

Yuma opened his eyes then, smiling as he saw an Aron in front of him, and a green barrier separating them and Watchog. "Tetsuo!" he cried out happily, looking towards the door of the basement

Tetsuo and Kotori both resided in the door frame, much to Yuma's excitement, and Kotori threw one of her Pokéballs. "Go, Pidove! Use Gust on Watchog!"

Pidove cooed confidently, before flapping its wings rapidly, stirring up gusts of wind in the room, aiming them at Watchog. When the gusts of wind stopped, Tetsuo called off Protect, and instead ordered a Headbutt fron Aron, not giving the Watchog any time to attack.

This trend of calling alternating attack after attack, not giving the Plasma member any chance to offensively protect itself, until the Watchog finally fainted. Defeated, the Team Plasma member recalled her Pokémon, and ran past the kids, calling out, "You'll regret interfering with Team Plasma's plans!"

As the Team Plasma member fled the room, Yuma was quick to begin looking for the Pokémon that had been the focus of Team Plasma's schemes. "Hey, li'l guy? Where'd ya go?" He looked everywhere: under the bed, under the bench, in the dresser drawers, but he couldn't find head nor tail of Victini.

"Look!" Kotori pointed out the trash can, which was shaking violently. Yuma moved over to it and grabbed it, steadying the receptacle, but when he looked inside, he saw nothing there. 

"It's... empty." He let the trash can go, and it yet again began shaking, though not as harshly this time. Curious, Yuma put his hands on the trash can again and peered inside, his eyes widening as he saw some of the trash inside move itself. He was silent for a moment, before gently speaking, "Hey, it's ok... They're not gonna take you away from your home; My friends beat them all up, ok?"

"Uh, dude?" Tetsuo asked flatly, "What are you doing?" He was hushed by Kotori however, who was watching closely as Yuma gently reached a hand inside the trash can.

Yuma gasped softly as he felt warmth pressed against his hand, despite it visibly being in contact with nothing, and lightly stroked his thumb along the nothingness that was there. "Team Plasma's gone now, it's safe to come out." The warmth in his hand moved, then froze, as if contemplating Yuma's words, before Victini blinked back into visibility, looking up at Yuma with big, baby blue eyes. "There ya go..." Yuma murmured, reaching his other hand in and gently lifting the Victini from the waste basket. "See? They're all gone."

Kotori and Tetsuo looked on in amazement at the Pokémon resting in Yuma's hands, the both of them never having seen any Pokémon like that before. "Woah..." Tetsuo gaped, "So that's Victini?"

"Yeah," Yuma said, shifting so that Victini's back was against his chest, holding Victini in his arms, which the Pokémon surprisingly allowed, "Ain't it neat?" There was a smile on his face, one that neither Kotori or Tetsuo had seen when Yuma had been in contact with any other Pokémon. His two friends shared a concerning look, before looking back at Yuma.

"Hey..." Kotori began, hesitancy in her tone. Yuma looked to her confusedly, the Victini in his arms mimicking Yuma's expression. "You know we're going to have to leave Victini here, right?"

"What?" Yuma asked, Kotori's statement also prompting a "Tini?" from Victini simultaneously. Yuma looked down at Victini in his arms, Victini staring back up at him, and then looked back to his two friends, who'd looked ashamed to have even brought the subject up. "But..."

"You heard what Nurse Joy said about Victini and it already having a Trainer," Tetsuo said, looking down as opposed to meeting Yuma's gaze, regretting they had to have this conversation. "Its trainer could come back and be expecting to see it when they get here."

"Plus, we don't know what kind of power Team Plasma was referring to." Kotori added on, sadness in her eyes as she watched Yuma frown and look down at Victini. "Maybe it was just its power to turn invisible, maybe its something more. Something we wouldn't be able to control."

Yuma was silent, unsure of what to say or do. Its power was supposedly supposed to bring victory to whoever had it, if the female member's words had been anything to go by; but if that had been correct, wouldn't she have won their battle, since she'd obtained Victini before Yuma had gotten there? Yuma was mulling this over when Victini pulled itself from his hold, and floated in the air before the three of them. All three children collectively gasped, watching in awe as the wingless Victini flew over to one of the drawers in the dresser, where it pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Yuma.

Blinking, Yuma read the paper aloud.

> _To whom it may concern:_
> 
> _If you are reading this, then you are here for my beloved Victini. I bought this island long ago, for Victini, to protect it from the harm of those who wished to use its power for evil. But now, in my old age, I cannot travel like I once could, and can no longer take Victini on the adventures I once used to._
> 
> _If you are reading this, than not only are you here for my beloved Victini, but it has chosen you to be worthy of its trust, and of mine. Please take Victini with you, and show it the world I can no longer show it myself. But be wary; those with less than pure intentions will try and take Victini from you. Take care of Victini, and in return, it will take care of you._

Yuma flipped the paper over, but when he saw nothing on the back, he looked at Kotori and Tetsuo, a bright smile on his face. _"Guys._ Victini can come with us!"

Tetsuo cheered, giving Yuma a high-five, but Kotori was still hesitant. "We still don't know much about Victini's power. Its old trainer didn't mention much other than people wanting to use it for evil."

"Maybe its better that we don't know its power," Tetsuo countered, shrugging as he put his hands in his pockets, "Can't abuse a power we don't know."

"Can't we though?"

"No, we can't."

"Tetsuo..."

"Guys," Yuma interrupted, smiling brightly. "Do either of you have a spare Pokéball?"

Tetsuo checked his backpack and shook his head, causing both boys to look at Kotori. She stood there for a few moments, contemplating, before sighing and smiling. "Alright, alright." She reached into her bag and pulled out a lone Pokéball, handing it to Yuma. "Just be careful, ok?"

Yuma gave her a strong nod, taking the Pokéball from her. "I promise."

With that, Yuma turned to Victini, who was still floating in place, holding out the Pokéball to show the Pokémon his intentions. "Whaddya say, Victini? Wanna be my partner?"

The thrill Yuma felt as Victini cheered and tapped the Pokéball, allowing itself to be caught, was the single most exciting thing he'd ever felt up to this point in his life.


End file.
